Solo attachment for musical instruments.



PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906. RA. PILGHER.

SOLO ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1904.

' panying harmonies.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. PILOHER, OF MARIET'IA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TIVO-THIRDS TO FREDERICK S. BRASOR AND SAMUEL S. PORTER, OF MARIETTA, OHIO.

SOLO ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented March 2'7, 1906.

Application filed April 7, 1904. Serial No. 201,955.

To all 1071 0712 it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK ASHLEY PIL- CHER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Marietta, in the county of Washington and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Solo Attachments for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to what are known as solo attachments for musical instruments, and has for its object the improvement of devices of this character. It is adapted for use with instruments in which the sounding of the different notes is controlled by pneumatically-operated mechanism, whether the notes themselves are sounded by air-pressure in pipes or reeds, as in organs, or by the mechanical striking of a string, as in pianofortes. It is often desirable in the playing of instruments thus controlled to emphasize a melody so as to distinguish it clearly from the accom- This result has heretofore been obtained by the provision of a solo attachment taking air from a source of higherv pressure than that supplying the wind-chamber for harmony-playing; but this double source of supply is rendered unnecessary by my invention, which, more particularly stated, comprises a wind-chamber partitioned into compartments for the different notes, as usual, and provided with a main wind-conduit communicating with all of said compartments and also provided with a conduit leading to either the treble or bass end of said chamber, both of said conduits being supplied with air at the same pressure. When both of said conduits are in use, the solo effect cannot be obtained from the attachment, it being necessary for this purpose to close or out off the main wind-conduit from the airsupply. In this latter case only one sounding device of the attachment can be sounded at a time, and this, as stated, maybe either the highest or lowest note of the chord, all the notes of which, including the highest and lowest, are or may be sounded simultaneously with the single note of the attachment on the main sounding devices of the instrument. Each sounding device of the attachment is provided with a valve connected to a pneumatic which is controlled by a primary in the usual way, depression of any given key allowing air to escape from the corresponding pneumatic, the latter thereupon collapsing and opening the valve to the sounding device, all of which arrangement is known and constitutes per 86 no part of my present invention. I mount each of said valves, however, upon a lever, the other end of which carries a valve which closes an opening in the partition between its compartment and the next, whereby when the solo-playing is desired and air is supplied from one end only of the attachment-as, for example, the treble endthe highest note of any chord played will be the only one sounded, because said second valve closes the only passage by which the air-pressure can reach the compartments of the lower notes. It will thus be seen that I obviate the necessity of any additional mechanicallyoperated valve mechanism to adapt the attachment for solo-playing, as well as the necessity for two sources of airsupply of different pressures, and at the same time leave the attachment equally capable of harmony playing, which results, I believe, have never heretofore been obtained. These and other objects and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, from which I have omitted all those parts with which my invention is combined in use, but which are not modified thereby, such as the main sounding devices of the instrument, the source of air-supply, the keyboard, and the primary.

In said drawings, Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section my solo attachment with parts shown in full and the side cover removed, and Fig. 2 represents a transverse section of the same on line 00 a; of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

For the purpose of this description it will be assumed that the attachment is used in the treble, it being understood that the bass attachment is the same in construction, but merely reversed in position. It will also be assumed that we are dealing with a pipe organ, the substitution of parts for adaptation with other instruments being possible by any one skilled in the art without the change of any essential feature.

The wind-chest comprises a casing A, divided into compartments D D D D D by transverse partitions B, each partition having a vertical wind-passage c at its upper end communicating with a pipe or sounding device C and at its lower end adapted to be normally closed by a valve 6, carried upon the upper arm of a vertical pivoted lever E, supported upon the pivot-block 6 attached to the partition. The lower arm of each lever E is connected to a valve 6, carried upon the flat spring E, extending obliquely across the face of the partition B and secured to a block 6 The springs E exert an outward pressure upon the levers E, so as to keep the valves 6 normally closed and the valves 6 normally open. These valves 6 when closed cover the openings 0, which extend entirely through the respective partitions B and normally maintain free communication between the wind-chambers D, D D D", and D Each partition B is hollowed out in part at b, and the hollow portion is covered with a suitable diaphragm b, of silk or other material properly treated, so as to form a pneumatic or bellows controller, which is connected by a flexible connection B with the corresponding lever E. Each pneumatic communicates at its lower end with a tube B, leading to the corresponding key-primary, whereby the admission and exhaust of air from said pneumatics are controlled.

Along the side a of the casing A are openings h, with inwardly-opening flap-valves it, there being one of these openings for each of the wind-chambers D D &c. Over all of the openings h and along the side a of the main casing extends the wind-trunk H for the chords.

A tube D, supplied with air, communicates with one end of the casing A. For solo-playing the air-supply to the wind-trunk H is cut off by any suitable or convenient means, and then the only source of wind to the casing A is by tube D.

The operation is therefore as follows: For the purpose of playing chords air is taken from the wind-trunk H through the openings h, and all the pipes C sound whose valves 6 are open. For the solo effects, however, wind is taken from the extreme upper end of the treble through the tube D, passing thence into the chambers D, D D, D, and D through the intervening openings 0. This latter wind-supply can sound only the upper note of each chord, the others being cut off in the following manner: Suppose the proper keys to be depressed to exhaust the first, third, and fifth pneumatics b. Each of these collapses and opens its valve 6, at the same time closing its valve 6. The first or highest note alone of the chord therefore is sounded. Exhaust of the air pressure into the wind-trunk H is prevented by the flap-valves 71 It will be at once apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made in connections, shape, and in matters of detail,

in this device without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I believe I am the first to provide a complete pneumatic control for a solo attachment of the character described, and I shall claim the same broadly. All minor changes and equivalents are included within the scope and purview of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A solo attachment for musical instruments comprising a wind-chest transversely divided into separate chambers, each chamber communicating through a passagewith the next succeeding one, a sounding device adapted to be supplied with air from each chamber, levers, a valve on said levers in each chamber for said sounding device, another valve in each chamber controlling said passage to the next chamber, a pneumatic externally exposed to air-pressure in each chamber and internally communicating with a controlling device, together with a flexible connection between the pneumatic and the lever in each chamber, such that when the lever is operated the sounding-device valve is opened and the air-passage valve is closed to cut off the supply from succeeding chambers, substantially as described.

2. A solo attachment for musical instruments, comprising a casing, apertured partitions dividing the same into separate compartments, valved apertures connecting said compartments to the different sounding devices, a source of air-supply, a conduit leading from said source and to an end compartment of said casing, pneumatically-released means in each compartment and adapted to be actuated by the air-pressure in said compartment to open the valved aperture to the corresponding sounding device and to simultaneously close the aperture in the partition cutting off air-supply to all succeeding compartments, whereby only the highest or lowest note of any chord can be sounded.

3. A solo attachment for musical instruments, comprising a casing, partitions dividing the same into separate compartments, said partitions having apertures connecting said compartments to the different sounding devices and to each compartment, valves controlling said apertures, a source of air-supply, a wind-trunk adapted to be connected thereto and communicating with each of said compartments, a wind-conduit also connected to said source and communicating with an end compartment of said casing, and means within each compartment adapted and arranged to be actuated by the air-pressure in said compartments to open the sounding device valves and to simultaneously close the compartment connecting valves, whereby when said wind trunk is connected to the air-supply chords can be played, but when the air is supplied through said wind-conduit only, but one note at a time can be played.

4. A solo attachment for musical instruments, comprising a wind-chest divided into compartments provided with communicating passages, sounding devices connected to said compartments, one of the end com artments being connected with a source 0 airsupply, pneumatics in each compartment exposed to be operated externally by the airpressure therein and connected internally to controlling devices, levers in said compart ments connected to said pneumatics and valves controlled by said levers, one adapted to open the connection between that compartment and its sounding device and the other to close the communicating passage to the next succeeding compartment when the controlling device is operated, whereby only the highest or lowest note of a chord can be sounded.

5. In a solo attachment for musical instruments, a wind-chest provided at one end thereof with a conduit connected to a source of air-supply and means within said chest arranged to be actuated by the air-pressure therein to control the escape of the air from said chest to the sounding devices and to simultaneously cut oiI the air-supply from all but one of said sounding devices, and a spring to automatically return said means to normal position.

6. In a solo attachment for musical instruments, a wind-chest provided with two airconduits leading from any suitable source of air-supply, one of said conduits entering said chest at one end thereof and the other entering at the opposite end thereof, pneumatics in said chest arranged to be actuated by the air-pressure therein to control the passage of the air to the sounding devices from either of said conduits, and to simultaneously limit the passage of the air from said end conduit to the end note high or low of any chord played.

7. In a solo attachment for musical instru-' ments, a Wind-chest provided with two airconduits leading from any suitable source of air-supply, one of said conduits entering said chest at one end thereof and means within said chest arranged to be actuated by the airpressure therein to limit the admission of the air coming from said end conduit to a single note, whereby the supply through the other conduit is cut off, solo-playing can be performed.

8. A solo attachment for musical instruments, comprising a wind-chest separated by apertured partitions into compartments connected to the different sounding devices, means in said compartments, arranged to be actuated by the pressure therein, to admit air to the sounding devices and to simultaneously close the apertures in the partitions.

9. A solo attachment for musical instruments, comprising a wind-chest separated by apertured partitions into compartments connected to the diiierent sounding devices, a pneumatic in each of said compartments, a lever arranged to be operated by said pneumatic carrying at one end a valve to control the passage of air to the sounding device and at the other end a valve to control the passage of air through the aperture in the partition whereby when air is admitted to the sounding device, the passage to the neXt succeeding compartment will be closed.

10. A musical instrument comprising a wind-chest separated by apertured partitions into compartments connected to the different sounding devices, means in said compartments, controlling the apertures in said partition and arranged to be actuated by the pressure therein, to admit air to the sounding devices.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. PILCHER.

Witnesses:

A. D. FoLLETT. WALTER KIRBY. 

